Covid-19: Educating the masses

Nature has created a temporary life-supporting bubble known as the biosphere upon the Earth within which we live, thrive and die. We share this bubble with millions of other living organisms. The formidable forces of evolution are constantly reconfiguring and realigning the biosphere. During the unfolding of this awesome phenomenon, Nature routinely imperils our existence. Thus, whilst this planet is good at weaving a web of life-supporting paraphernalia for us, it is even better at producing enemies that can obliterate us! Covid-19 is one such enemy.

The virus has wreaked havoc in Pakistan on a gargantuan scale. Apart from preying upon us with gay abandon, it has crafted an environment of fear that is steadily sapping the collective energy of a despondent nation. With the numbers of infectees and deceased growing rapidly, the very fabric of our society is being torn apart. As the time for lockdowns and quarantines is crawling past us, we need to promptly manufacture a mechanism that can educate the people about the preventive measures they must take to avoid Covid-19. This can save many lives.

Information is knowledge and knowledge is a time-tested apparatus that transforms our minds and empowers us to face the foes life unleashes upon us. The more we know about our enemies, the more fearless we become. The more knowledge we gain about them, the more powerful we become. To know, therefore, is to win. The people of this country must be told in unequivocal terms that Covid-19 is not a hoax: it is a contagious disease that can be fatal. However, the now-famous WHO-endorsed five rules of safety could be embraced to keep it at bay. These are: washing hands frequently with soap; coughing into one’s elbow; not touching one’s face; keeping a safe distance from others; and, staying home if one is sick.

The federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should design and take ownership of a powerful information dissemination campaign revolving around these five rules to make the people realise that they can protect themselves and others if they know how to cope with a Covid-19-infested environment. The campaign should not be a slow-moving, request-gurgling, appeal-churning, plea-packed package. It should be a robust, aggressive and vigorous campaign aimed at creating the flood-effect: it should flood peoples’ minds, forcing them to follow the prescribed rules.

But how could this be done? 1) PM Imran Khan should inaugurate this campaign by addressing the nation and making it clear that we are in grave danger and that all of us should act responsibly; 2) PTV and all private channels should resort to energetic Covid-19 information propagation by televising special programmes on a daily basis; 3) custom-made advertisements having a striking audio-visual content should be run by all channels; 4) morning and prime time shows aired by TV channels should contain at least one 15-minute segment about these rules; 5) Radio Pakistan and all FM channels should broadcast discussions about the prescribed measures; 6) all national and regional newspapers should publish conspicuous advertisements underscoring the importance of preventive action; 7) Facebook, Twitter and Instagram should be used by the Ministry of Information and the provincial information departments skilfully, to promote the observance of the rules; 8) billboards carrying warnings and advisory statements should be erected at all airports, major railway stations, bus bays and all motorway service areas; 9) the provincial Auqaf Departments should ask the imams of all the mosques to regularly make announcements about the rules; 10) khateebs should be taught to discuss the Covid-19 prevention paradigm during Friday sermons; and, 11) rural communities should be visited by “Covid-19 Awareness Teams” in order to sensitise people about the rules. The newly raised Tiger Force could be used for this purpose.

Awareness campaigns are expensive, but the lives of the people of Pakistan are priceless.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2020.

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